09/07/2026
Photo of the Day
Credit: Alex Johnson-Jimenez
Chaco Culture National Historical Park
Chaco Canyon is the reason I first picked up a camera for astrophotography.
My wife and I have been camping at Chaco Canyon for about 15 years, going at least once, if not twice, a year. But that very first visit has never left me. We sat outside in the darkness and were completely lost in the depth of the night sky. The sheer volume of stars took our breath away, slowed our hearts, and brought a deep, quiet sense of peace. We watched the Milky Way stretch across the sky in such absolute beauty. We knew at that moment that this park would be one we'd travel to re-center ourselves and remind us of our place in the universe.
As an elementary school teacher, I've taught my students about the Milky Way for years. I've always wished I could see it the way it appears in textbooks and photographs. Seeing it stretch above our campground, and later watching it rise above Fajada Butte, sparked a desire to somehow bring these two beautiful things together: the ancient landscape of Chaco Canyon and the vastness of the cosmos above it.
Fast forward to March 2026. By this point, I had spent years learning and getting better at night photography. I used PhotoPills to plan this shot, then woke up at 3:30 AM to make it happen.
The temperature was in the mid-20s. My hands were freezing, and my fingers were aching from the cold. Coyotes were yipping somewhere in the distance, or maybe just around the corner. It was hard to tell with the echoes carrying through the canyon.
As I set up my equipment, I kept stopping to savor the absolute quiet. I even let out a little childlike giggle at the fact that I could see so well by starlight. There were simply so many stars.
In that moment, I wasn't thinking about camera settings or getting the perfect shot. I was just standing there, looking up, experiencing the same sense of wonder I felt on that very first trip to Chaco Canyon 15 years earlier.
Capture Settings:
Lens: Sony 20mm f/1.8
Foreground:
f/1.8 | 3 minutes | ISO 1000
Sky:
f/2.0 | 4-minute tracked exposure | ISO 400
Final image:
Exposure blend of the tracked sky and foreground.
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